Infant formula preparation apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for dispensing infant formula including, a steriliser ( 2 ) for sterilising a bottle, a milk powder container ( 4 ) for dispensing milk powder into the bottle, a water container ( 3 ) for dispensing water into the bottle and a controller ( 8 ) to control operation of the apparatus.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed towards an apparatus for dispensinginfant formula, and in particular an apparatus that is able to containand mix temperature controlled water with milk powder based on theamount of infant formula desired and ideally is also capable ofsterilising bottles prior to dispensing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The number of times a caregiver will have to prepare infant formula fora baby from age 0 to 6 years old is estimated at 8571 times. Of thisamount, 6199 times are estimated to be prepared during the day and 2372times are estimated to be prepared at night. (See table below): TotalTotal Times/ Times/ Times Times Age of Infant Day Night (Day) (Night)Total 0 to 6 months 6 2 1092 365 1457 7 to 12 months 6 1 1092 182 127413 to 24 months 5 1 1825 365 2190 25 to 36 months 3 1 1095 365 1460 37to 48 months 1 1  365 365  730 49 to 60 months 1 1  365 365  730 61 to72 months 1 1  365 365  730 Total 6199 2372  8571

For each feeding, the baby's caregiver is required to take an empty milkbottle properly sterilised and execute the following chores manually;

-   -   a) Pour in the required amount of lukewarm water in to the        sterilised milk bottle. The caregiver must have a water        container to store this lukewarm water;    -   b) Mix an amount of hot water with this lukewarm water to ensure        that this mix of water will be suitable for dissolving the milk        formula and ready for feeding;    -   c) Open up the milk powder container to scoop the required        amount of milk powder and place it into the milk bottle with the        water at the correct temperature;    -   d) Thereafter, mix the prescribed amount of milk powder with the        warm water.

These chores are often executed by the caregiver with baby in arm and inthe dark or with limited lighting. The aim of the caregiver is toexecute these chores with precision and in the quickest time so that thebaby does not become frantic from crying in hunger. If the baby ispromptly fed with milk, the baby is more inclined to sleep again.Otherwise, the baby will be agitated and may not return to sleepreadily. This will also impact the caregiver whose sleep will bedistorted and insufficient sleep in the long run can affect the healthand temperament of the caregiver.

It is essential that the environment where the preparation of infantformula is prepared is convenient and not messy.

To execute the necessary chores efficiently and to ensure that the rightmix of hot and warm water to dissolve the milk powder is achieved is noteasy. There are many instances where spillage of hot water has resultedin thermal bums to the caregiver, and also spillage of milk powder on totabletops and the floor creating an unhygienic environment for the baby.

There is also the risk that the final infant formula may not be of theright temperature for feeding and the correct mix of water and milkpowder is not often achieved. This lack of consistency in thepreparation of infant formula affects the baby's ability to absorb thenutritional value in the infant formula fully, which may result in poorhealth for the baby in the long term.

Furthermore, the home environment is affected by the presence of so manydifferent containers

-   -   a) Container for lukewarm water;    -   b) Container for hot water (normally a thermal flask);    -   c) Milk powder container;    -   d) A steriliser for disinfecting the used milk bottle,    -   which must be kept clean and hygienic at all times for the well        being of the baby.

Storing all these containers/apparatus in a place away from the baby'sroom (such as kitchen) will result in numerous trips to and from thebaby's room and the kitchen every day and night. The caregiver's choreis further increased by having to re-fill the water containers regularlyand ensuring that they are properly sterilised.

Attempts to address the need for water to be at the correct temperatureso as to ensure the formula is dissolved properly have been made. Suchattempts concentrate on providing an apparatus that provides suitablywarm water, however whilst the temperature may be adequate the correctamount of formula may not be added, particularly considering thecircumstances in which the mixture is likely to be made.

There is therefore a need for an improved system for ensuring infantformula is prepared efficiently and hygienically.

OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide anapparatus that is able to mix and dispense infant formula in anefficient and hygienic manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the above object in mind the present invention provides anapparatus for dispensing infant formula including:

-   -   a steriliser for sterilising said bottle;    -   a milk powder container for storing milk powder;    -   a milk powder dispenser for dispensing said milk powder from        said container into said bottle;    -   a water container for storing water;    -   a water dispenser for dispensing water into said bottle; and    -   a programmable first controller to control said milk powder and        water dispensers,    -   wherein said programmable first controller includes a memory        arranged to store data identifying at least one variety of milk        powder,    -   and wherein said programmable first controller is arranged to        determine a required amount of said milk powder to be dispensed        by said milk powder dispenser from:    -   a) data entered into said memory, said data identifying the        stored milk powder, and    -   b) a required amount of said water to be dispensed by said water        dispenser    -   such that the dispensed infant formula contains user required        proportions of said milk powder and said water.

Preferably said first controller is arranged to store in the memory apre-determined set of data identifying a plurality of varieties of saidmilk powder. More preferably a user may enter additional data into thememory identifying the store milk powder.

The steriliser may include a closeable container and a steam generationmeans for generating steam to sterilise the bottle. Ideally steam willbe generated by heating water in a water reservoir.

The preferred embodiment will be able to sense the water level in thewater reservoir and as necessary alert the user to any fault conditions.In such an event the controller should also disable operation of thesteriliser.

In the preferred embodiment the milk powder dispenser includes adispenser which may be motorised and located at the base of the milkpowder dispenser so as to dispense predetermined quantities of milkpowder into the bottle. The controller should prevent this action if abottle is not present or insufficient milk powder is in the milk powdercontainer. Ideally the milk powder container is detachable and includesan airtight lid.

The water container should also be preferably detachable, and ideallymade of Pyrex or similar stain and heat resistant material. A means ofheating the water in the water container should only operate ifsufficient water is sensed in the container, and should be able to boilthe water.

A water pump can be included to measure desired amounts of water into abottle, and ideally should only operate if a bottle is present, andsufficient water is in the water container.

The steriliser compartment and dispensing compartment may be separate orcombined depending on the preferred configuration.

Whilst the apparatus could be fully automated, it will ideally include acontrol panel to allow a user to adjust various settings and/or operatethe apparatus. This may include adjusting the temperature or dispensing.The control panel preferably includes a graphical display for ease ofuse, which may take the form of a Liquid Electronic Display or LiquidCrystal Display. The display could include graphical objects and/ortext.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the basic component of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed layout of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The apparatus of the present invention as exemplified in FIG. 3 includesfour main functional blocks each connected to a controller 1. Thesefunctional blocks, as shown in FIG. 1, include a steriliser 2, a milkpowder container 4 and powder dispenser 5, a water reservoir 3 and waterdispenser 6, and a control panel 8. Each of these functional componentsoperates to sterilise and efficiently dispense an infant formula into abottle 7.

The steriliser 2 is a compartment where the empty milk bottle may bekept. There is a small reservoir 22 in the steriliser 2 which the usermay fill with water before the sterilising sequence can be initiated.Alternatively, this reservoir 22 may be connected to a water source sothat the reservoir 22 may be maintained at an operating level. Thepreferred embodiment includes a water level sensor 12 that will preventthe initialising of the sterilising sequence if there is no water in thereservoir 22. Similarly, a door switch 16 may be included to againprevent the sterilising sequence being initiated if the door to thesterilising compartment is not closed properly. By preventingsterilisation if the door is partially open, the apparatus preventssteam from escaping into the environment and potentially scalding theuser or other persons, and avoids leakage of steam which may prevent thebottles from being sterilised properly.

In order to initiate the sterilising sequence the user may place abottle in the steriliser 2, ensure that the reservoir 22 is at anadequate level, and the door closed, and then activate the appropriatebutton 19 on the control panel 8 Alternatively, the device may beconfigured such that a further sensor detects the presence of a bottleand provided the water level sensor 12 indicates sufficient water ispresent, and door switch 16 indicates that the door is closed, thesteriliser 2 may automatically sterilise the bottle. In a preferredarrangement a further sensor may also sense the amount of content in themilk bottle before any water is dispensed. This helps prevent overflowwhen the amount of water or infant formula dispensed plus the contentalso present in the milk bottle before dispensing is more than what themilk bottle can carry, and thus resulting in overflow. In an alternativearrangement, a sensor may also sense the top of the milk bottle and willprevent further dispensing by sending a signal to the controller whenthe bottle is filled even before the amount of water or infant formuladesired by the caregiver is fully dispensed.

The sterilisation process may include the water in the water reservoir22 being heated by a heater 13 which is controlled by heater controller14 so as to generate the steam necessary to sterilise the bottle. If thecontrol panel 8 includes a display 18, a message such as “sterilising inprogress” may be displayed. The display 18 could take the form of aLiquid Crystal Display (LCD) with two rows of 16 characters.Alternatively, other displays may be utilised.

Once sterilising of the bottle is complete within the programmed time, abuzzer 15 may sound and the display 18 may display a message such as“sterilisation complete”. Alternatively a simple LCD may indicate thatthe sterilisation has been completed.

In a further alternative embodiment the door switch 16 may be connectedto a locking mechanism which ensures that the door to the compartmentcan not be opened until the sterilisation process is completed. In thisconfiguration the device may be adapted such that if the user is unableto open the compartment door, it indicates that sterilisation is inprocess.

If there are any disruptions to the process, for example the waterreservoir 22 falls below a predefined level, or the door is caused topartially or fully open, then the controller 1 would cause thesterilisation process to be suspended or aborted, and an error messagecan be displayed on the display 18 and/or an audible alarm sounded viathe buzzer 15. The device may be configured such that the controller 1is able to communicate any fault such as insufficient water levels tothe user via the display 18 on the control panel 8.

Turning now to the milk powder container 4 this may include a reservoiror compartment within the device. The milk powder container 4 may beused to store infant formula. Infant formula may also be considered toinclude other milk formula and powdered milk for consumption by adultsor the elderly, or powdered food mix for infants and/or adults. Thecontainer may be designed to accept standard size packaging, which maybe provided by a manufacturer. In the preferred embodiment, the milkpowder container 4 includes a detachable plastic container which ideallycan hold at least 2.268 kg (2.283 kg multiply by 8 times) of milkpowder, as this is considered to be the maximum amount needed by 1infant/baby for 2 days or 2 infants/babies for 1 day. By beingdetachable, the container 4 may be more easily cleaned than if thecontainer 4 is fixed within the apparatus. The container 4 shouldinclude an airtight lid to prevent any foreign matter from entering intothe container 4, and to also keep the milk powder stored in thecontainer 4 fresh.

The preferred apparatus also includes a low level sensor 23 so as towarn the user when the milk powder in the container 4 is at a low levelor exhausted. This sensor 23 may detect the weight of the milk powderwithin the container 4, or alternatively could include an optical sensoror any other means of determining when the milk powder reaches apredetermined level.

Connected to the container 4, and conveniently at the base of thecontainer 4 is a motorised dispenser 5 which is capable of dispensingmeasured portions of the milk powder. The dispensing action may becontrolled by a motor controller 17 attached to the controller 1. Thedispenser may include a mechanical door controlled by the controllerwhich opens and shuts accordingly. In this case, the powder in thereservoir will fall due to gravity when the mechanical door is opened.

In one particular embodiment the controller may control the duration forthe door to remain open which is dependent on the amount of infantformula required by the caregiver and also the amount of milk powderremaining in the reservoir. The more powder remaining in the reservoir,the heavier will be the weight on the mechanical door and therefore thegreater will be volume that fall when the door is opened. Therefore, forthe same amount of infant formula needed by the caregiver, themechanical door will open longer when the powder remaining is less thanwhen the powder remaining in the reservoir is full. The mechanical doormay be in the form of a rotary shuttle which opens and shuts whenactivated. The principle is such as that of the shutter for a camera orthe chuck that holds the drill bit in an electric drill. Preferably themechanical door system provides an airtight seal.

Alternatively, the milk powder dispenser may include a helical or spiralscrew type dispenser, for example, an Archimedean screw type device.Thus, the dispensing action may be controlled by a motor controllerconnected to the first controller whereby the motor controller initiatesrotation of the spiral or helical screw to effect dispensing of the milkpowder as required by the first controller.

On the preferred apparatus, dispensing of the milk powder would beinitiated by the user pressing a button on the control panel which maybe marked “dispense”. The apparatus will ideally include a sensor 9 toensure that a bottle 7 is present before any powder is dispensed.Assuming that the milk powder sensor 23 senses sufficient milk powder inthe container 4, and the bottle sensor 9 indicates that a milk bottle 7is present, then when the user elects to dispense the milk powder, thecontroller 1 will through the motor controller 17 operate the motorisedmechanism 5 to dispense the prescribed quantity of milk powder into thebottle 7. The amount of powder dispensed may be calculated based onprevious settings either stored in the dispenser or entered by the user.In this way a caregiver could select a prescribed standard concentrateas suggested by a manufacturer or a diluted mixture of the concentrate.

In some embodiments, the user may be able to select the amount of milkpowder to be dispensed, and this may include the ability to set thelevel to zero should the user only wish to dispense water and no milkpowder. If such a level is set then the controller 1 should prevent anymilk powder from being dispensed, and ideally display a message on thedisplay 18, and or sound and audible alert via the buzzer 15. Similarly,if any error conditions are incurred a similar action should take place.Whilst the powder is being dispensed, the display 18 may indicate thestatus with a message such as “dispensing powder”. In a preferredembodiment, the apparatus will allow the user the flexibility to makeinfant formula that is less or more concentrated than that specified bymilk powder manufacturer. This will cater to the varying need andcondition of the infant. By varying the concentration level on, forexample, a rotary dial or adjusting the settings in a menu, the user maychoose to prepare infant formula that is more or less concentrate thanthe standard formula. Hat is, the infant formula may be more or lessconcentrated than the standard formula. The standard concentration maybe specified by milk powder manufacturers and pre-set in the firstcontroller. In one arrangement, the control panel or user interface mayconsist of the following: a rotary knob for selecting the amount ofinfant formula needed for each feed, a rotary dial concentric to therotary knob for selecting the level of concentration of the infantformula needed, 1st button for Dispense/Stop Dispense operations, 2ndbutton for Boil/Stop boil operations, 3rd button for Sterilise/StopSterilise operations, 4^(th) Button for choosing water only, 5^(th)button for choosing powder only, 6^(th) button MENU (SET) i.e. forcalibrating, select temperature, on/off sound, choose language, etc,7^(th) button RESET e.g. to reinstall factory settings after any error,8^(th) & 9^(th) button for up and down arrow operations.

As for the milk powder container 4, the water reservoir 3 may be formedintegrally with the device, and the user simply fills the reservoir 3 asnecessary. Alternatively, the water reservoir 3 may be connected to awater source which ensures that the water level within the reservoir 3is maintained at selected levels. In the preferred arrangement, thewater reservoir 3 may be formed by a detachable container preferablymade out of food grade Pyrex or some other stain and heat resistantmaterial. It is preferred that the water reservoir 3 would be able tohold capacity for at least eight bottles of which may hold 2.283 kg. Byincorporating a detachable container 3, the container 3 may be easilyremoved to both refill with water and for washing of the container.

A filter means may also be included to filter off unwanted particlesfrom the water before dispensing.

The water storage container 3 will ideally sit on a heater plate 10which may be controlled by a heater controller 11 connected to thecontroller 1. It will be appreciated that the heater 10 need not supportthe water reservoir 3, and that other arrangements may be incorporatedprovided that the heater 10 is capable of heating the water within thewater reservoir 3. For example, a heating element may be arranged tosurround the container, or alternatively a heating filament may beinserted into the container.

A sensor 21 may be included to detect the presence of the waterreservoir 3, and also the water level within the water reservoir 3. Ifthe sensor 21 indicates that the water reservoir 3 is not present or thewater within the reservoir 3 is below a predetermined level, then thecontroller 1 may prevent the heater 10 from operating. If the watertemperature is above or below the desired range suitable for feeding,the controller 1 may also prevent the dispensing of any water or milkpowder. Ideally the heater 10 will be controlled using Pulse WidthModulation (PWM) to ensure very accurate control of the watertemperature. This temperature may be sensed by a temperature sensor 20connected to the controller 1.

In an alternative arrangement, the water reservoir 3 may be fixed withinthe apparatus and effectively sealed from the user. In this arrangement,a water source is connected to the water reservoir 3 to ensure thatwater within the reservoir 3 is maintained at sufficient levels. Sensorsmay be incorporated to ensure that the water is maintained above acertain level. Further sensors may be included to ensure that thecontainer is not over filled. In this arrangement the heater 10 may belocated within and/or surrounding the reservoir 3 to assist in uniformheating of the water.

In the preferred embodiment, during normal operation the water in thewater reservoir 3 is maintained at a temperature which is pre-set or setby the user via the control panel 8. The temperature sensor 20 can takecontinual readings of the water and relay these to the controller 1. Ifthe controller 1 determines that the water temperature falls below apredetermined temperature, it can activate the heater controller 11 toturn on the heater 10 and thereby raise and maintain the temperature ofthe water at the desired temperature. Preferably the water will not becontinuously re-boiled to preserve a healthy level of mineral and oxygencontent. Ideally, the apparatus will include an override switch so as toturn off the heater 10 should the water temperature exceed anypredetermined safety level.

The controller 1 should also be configured to disable the heater 10 viathe heater controller 11 should a temperature setting be set to zero oroff, or any error conditions are present. Ideally, the display 18 wouldindicate a relevant error or fault message.

Similar to the powder dispenser 5, the water dispenser 6 which may takethe form of a water pump will only dispense water from the waterreservoir 3 into the bottle 7 if the milk bottle sensor 9 detects that amilk bottle 7 is present. Similarly, if the water level sensor 21indicates that the level of water in the reservoir 3 is below apredetermined level, the controller 1 will not operate the water pump 6.

Assuming that there are no faults, the controller 1 will operate thewater pump 6 to dispense a predetermined amount of water which may beset by the device or controlled by the user via the control panel 8.This could include setting the level to zero should the user only wishto dispense milk powder.

Whilst it is preferred that the water not be constantly re-boiled, inthe preferred embodiment, the controller 1 will also ensure that thewater pump 6 does not dispense water if the water within the storagecontainer 3 has not been boiled at least once. This ensures thatunboiled water is not dispensed into the feeding bottle. Ideally, thecontroller 1 will also only operate the pump 6 if the temperature sensor20 indicates that the water temperature is within plus or minus 1° C. ofthe desired temperature. Whilst this is the preferred error rating,wider temperature variations may be tolerated.

If any faults are detected, then again an audible sound may be made bybuzzer 15 and/or displayed on the display 18.

The apparatus may be configured such that when the reservoir sensor 21senses that the water reservoir 3 has been removed and replaced, andalso senses that sufficient water is stored within the reservoir 3, thecontroller 1 may instruct the heater controller 11 to bring the water toa boil by operating the heater 10. This ensures that the water is boiledat least once. In this arrangement a further embodiment may enable auser to manually override or stop the boiling process in the event thatthe user is putting in boiled water and no boiling is required. In someembodiments, the user may also be able to select to reboil the water byselecting an appropriate control 19 on the control panel 8. In thissituation the controller 1 will again cause the heater controller 11 tooperate the heater 10 to boil the water assuming no fault conditions aredetected.

The sensor 21 can therefore be installed to detect whenever the waterstorage container 3 is removed for refilling purposes and then put back.This can then activate the heater 10 to re-boil automatically. In thesituation where an external water source is used to maintain the levelof water within the reservoir, then the apparatus may be configured tobring the water to the boil whenever water is added via the externalsource.

Ideally, if the controller 1 detects via the temperature sensor 20 thatthe temperature of the water has fallen outside a desired temperaturerange setting, for example 5° C., the heater 10 will again be caused toactivate or as necessary deactivate the warming process automatically.

Assuming that the water has been boiled and that no fault conditionsexist, the water is dispensed by means of the motorised pump 6 and thevolume of water dispensed will depend on predetermined controls orlevels set via the control panel.

In some arrangements, the steriliser compartment 2 and dispensingcompartment may be separated. In this arrangement the user wouldinitially place the bottle 7 within the steriliser 2 for sterilisation,and once this process is complete remove the bottle 7 from thesteriliser 2 and replace it in the dispenser compartment so that theinfant formula may be dispensed. Further in a modular construction thesteriliser may be designed such that it can be detached from theremainder of the device and still function. In an alternativearrangement, the steriliser 2 and dispenser compartments may beintegrated. Water from the water reservoir could be configured toautomatically dispense into the sterilising compartment and start thesterilising process, taking away the need to manually pour water tostart the process. In this way, the user simply places the bottle 7within a single compartment. The bottle may then be sterilised, andinfant formula dispensed without the necessity of the user to move thebottle from one compartment to a second compartment.

The heater may also be used to maintain the mixed formula at apredetermined temperature. In this way a formula may be premixed andmaintained for later use.

The control panel 8 will ideally be user friendly and allow the user tointeract with the apparatus. In the preferred embodiment it includes aLiquid Crystal Display having two rows of 16 characters for displayinginstructions or messages. It will also ideally include one rotary switchor dial for the user to indicate whether the infant formula is required,or alternatively if only water or milk powder is required. Additionaltouch buttons may also be included for dispensing infant formula ofprescribed Standard concentrate or of a diluted version. Additionaltouch buttons for water only or milk powder only, to boil or stopboiling, sterilise, calibrate, adjust settings and/or reset. It will beappreciated that varying displays may be used and also varying switchesor touch buttons. For example, the temperature setting may be controlledby two touch buttons one for increasing the temperature and one fordecreasing the temperature. These buttons may also be used for scrollingup and down any options available to the user which may includecalibration. The reset button may be used to enable the apparatus to bebrought back to a normal mode following an error or fault detection. Itis envisaged that once a fault is detected, that it will be necessaryfor the user to address the fault and then push the reset button. Thesystem would then perform a check to ensure that the fault was correctedor alternatively simply return the system to a rest status.

The desired apparatus, will be pre-calibrated for use with the 10 to 20most popular milk powder currently selling in the market. This is toenable the caregiver to easily start using the apparatus by justselecting the type of milk powder they are using. In the event thatpowder use is not pre-calibrated, the apparatus will preferably includea button to allow the user to manually calibrate the amount of milkpowder or water to be dispensed. On selecting of this option, the usercould be brought through the calibrating sequence by displayinginstructions on the LCD 18.

The apparatus can automatically dispense the right amount of milk powderfor the desired amount of infant formula needed. This may be achieved bycalibrating the dispenser which involves adjusting an indicator which islinked to the microprocessor in built in the apparatus. As differentmilk powder has different density, calibrating the dispenser will ensurethe right proportion of mix is achieved. Unless the caregiver changesthe brand of milk powder, the indicator only needs to be adjusted once.

The apparatus can thus automatically dispense the right amount of milkpowder and water, at the right temperature in a one touch operation, foradded convenience, and encompasses in just one apparatus, the functionsof storing water, storing milk powder, dispensing (milk powder andwater) and sterilising a used milk bottle. Thus the milk giver canimprove the living ambience, retain more space, reduce hazards ofthermal burns and improve the hygiene of the environment.

The present invention therefore provides a device that through a programin a microprocessor can boil and keep water warm at selectedtemperatures, automatically dispenses the right amount of milk powderand water content in a one-touch operation and sterilises milk bottlesand pacifier by producing steam.

The controller 1 is able to centrally control and maintain the water ata desired temperature, and control the amount of milk powder and theamount of water to be dispensed in a virtually “one touch” and “handsfree” operation. The microprocessor will, in a preferred embodiment,also through its sensors, indicate and control the water temperaturedesired and the temperature in the container and the amount of waterpresent in the water compartment and give a warning light/beep when thewater level is low and will also give a warning light/beep if milkpowder level is low; and all indicators/messages will be displayed on asimple and easy to understand LCD/LED display. Such indicators can bedisplayed in different languages by programming the microprocessoraccordingly. Preferably, when the water temperature is not within adesired temperature range, an indicator light can be caused to light up.When the water temperature has reached the desired temperature range,the same (or another) indicator light may also signal that the water isnow at a suitable temperature for dispensing. In an alternativearrangement, the backlight on an LED or LCD display may change dependingon whether the desired temperature range is reached.

The microprocessor will further prevent overheating of the water; anddispensing water that is above the desired temperature. Ideally thecaregiver will only be able to select within a range of temperature thatis deemed safe for dispensing infant formula, to thereby prevent thermalbum of the baby if fed with overheated water. Preferably, themicroprocessor will also prevent dispensing water or milk powder wheneither one of the items is not sufficient for the required feedingthereby preventing the preparation of the infant formula in the wrongproportion; and dispensing of water and powder when the milk bottle isnot properly in place, so as to avoid liquid spillage which is hazardousfor electrical appliance and wastage of milk powder from occurring.Ideally, the apparatus will also have an adjustable height support tocater to the varying height of milk bottles. The adjustable heightsupport may be manually lifted or lowered to a preselected suitableheight and be retained in position by on a friction, gear, spring ormotorised operated mechanism.

The microprocessor may also be programmed with factory installedcalibration for a number of the most popular milk powders currentlyselling in the market place. This will make calibration a matter of justmaking choices. Any milk powder not within the factory-calibrated listcan be manually calibrated by following simple programming instructions.

In the preferred embodiment the present invention provides a device witha number of advantageous features including:

-   -   a one touch button to automatically dispense the right/desired        amount of milk powder for a selected amount of water;    -   ability to boil and keep water warm at various selected        temperatures;    -   can preferably select between 0.056 kg to 0.283 kg of water for        each feeding;    -   ability to store a reasonable amount of water and milk powder        for multiple use;    -   ability to give warning and prevent dispensing of water if water        temperature is not right for feeding;    -   ability to indicate and give warning if water level or milk        powder remaining in the appliance is low;    -   have luminous indicator lights to assist reading the control        panel at night or in low light conditions;    -   have an indicator to adjust or pre-set the amount of milk powder        to dispense for different volume of water required;    -   have safety features to prevent over heating or short-circuit;        This prevents dispensing water that is above the desired        temperature. It also ideally has a suction base to prevent        dropping off from tabletops;    -   have energy saving feature; for example auto cut off when the        desired temperature is reached or when sterilising is deemed        complete after approximately 10 minutes;    -   it has option to dispense only warm water, instead of both water        and milk powder;    -   it can hold a sterilised milk bottle ready at the spigot/nozzle        waiting for the preparation of the infant formula. Therefore it        enables virtually “hands free” preparation of infant formula;        The caregiver need not hold on to the milk bottle while        preparing the infant formula;    -   it can sterilise and also keep ready mixed infant formula warm        at selected temperature.    -   an airtight hopper to store the milk powder in the apparatus        ready for multiple feeding.

It is recognised that future embodiments of the invention may be voiceactivated to further improve ease of use.

In a preferred arrangement, to prevent the powder dispensing nozzle fromclogging due to vapour or humidity, the powder can be dispensed firstbefore the warm water is dispensed. This helps to prevent vapour fromthe warm water from entering the powder dispensing nozzle. In analternative arrangement, a very small amount of water may be dispensedfirst, followed by the milk powder. After the mechanical door for themilk powder dispenser is closed, the remaining amount of warm water willthen be dispensed. This helps prevent the milk powder from sticking tothe bottom of the milk bottle if milk powder is dispensed first.Preferably the water starts to be dispensed before the milk powder, andthen the water continues to be dispensed whilst the milk powder isdispensing, and the water stops being dispensed after the milk powderhas finished dispensing. Thus, the likelihood of clogging and/orstaining is reduced.

The apparatus will ideally have a removable container in the waterheater compartment that uses food grade or other stain resistantmaterials for easy refilling of water and stain free operation. This ispreferred to stainless steel containers, which will gather irremovablechemical composite on its stainless steel wall after a period of time.Such chemical deposits are not healthy for consumption and willdrastically alter the mineral content of water and become not suitablefor human consumption.

The apparatus will ideally further include an express cooling system forrapidly cooling water that has boiled in the water reservoir back toaround body temperature of 37° C. Such a cooling system may be in theform of an electric fan. Alternatively, or in addition, ventilationholes may also be opened near the top of the water reservoir to allowsteam and heat to escape easily. This ventilation opening may then beshut when the desired temperature is reached. This helps to prevent dustor particles from entering the water reservoir.

Alternatively, the express cooling system may be in the form of a heatexchanger. For example, a cooling coil through which the heated water ispassed to allow heat from the water to pass to the environment.Preferably the heat exchanger includes fan assisted cooling whereby therate of heat loss from the heat exchanger can be increased to cool theheated water more rapidly than the heat exchanger alone can effect. Forexample, air can be fan forced over a cooling coil. Preferably the waterpassing through the heat exchanger may be pump assisted.

In comparison currently available systems only provide warm water atselected temperature. They do not boil water, and attempt to disinfectwater using a ultra violet light instead of boiling which is not aproven technology and generally not accepted. Prior systems do notincorporate the milk powder dispensing function and the milk bottlesterilising function. By incorporating all the three main functions ofproviding warm water, milk powder and sterilising the milk bottle, thepresent invention ensures hygienic operation at each stage and ensuresthat the preparation of infant formula is properly mixed and at thecorrect temperature prescribed, this enables the caregiver to derive themost synergy and efficiency with the least effort and shortest time.Previous systems also do not dispense warm water and milk powderautomatically through a one-touch button with settings that arepre-programmed in a microprocessor.

Whilst the method and system of the present invention has beensummarised and explained by illustrative examples, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that many widely varyingembodiments and applications are within the teaching and scope of thepresent invention, and that the examples presented herein are by way ofillustration only and should not be construed as limiting the scope ofthis invention.

1. An apparatus for dispensing infant formula including: a steriliserfor sterilising said bottle; a milk powder container for storing milkpowder; a milk powder dispenser for dispensing said milk powder fromsaid container into said bottle; a water container for storing water; awater dispenser for dispensing water into said bottle; and aprogrammable first controller to control said milk powder and waterdispensers; wherein said programmable first controller includes a memoryarranged to store data identifying at least one variety of milk powder;and wherein said programmable first controller is arranged to determinea required amount of said milk powder to be dispensed by said milkpowder dispenser from: a) data entered into said memory, said dataidentifying the stored milk powder, and b) a required amount of saidwater to be dispensed by said water dispenser such that the dispensedinfant formula contains user required proportions of said milk powderand said water.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein saidmemory is arranged to store a pre-determined set of said dataidentifying a plurality of varieties of said milk powder, wherein theamount of milk powder to be dispensed is determined following a userselection from said set of data of the stored variety of milk powder tobe dispensed.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memoryis arranged to store a non-user predetermined set of said dataidentifying a plurality of varieties of said milk powder and wherein theamount of milk powder to be dispensed is determined from additional dataidentifying the stored milk powder entered by a user into the memory. 4.An apparatus as claimed in claims 1, 2 or claim 3 wherein said milkpowder dispenser is a motorised dispenser operated by a motor controllerenabled by said first controller.
 5. An apparatus according to any oneof the preceding claims, wherein the first controller utilisesadditional user entered data to determine the concentration of theinfant formula above or below a predetermined concentration by adjustingthe proportions of selected milk powder to water to be dispensed to givea diluted or enriched infant formula.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, further including an adjustable heightbottle support to cater for bottles of various heights.
 7. An apparatusas claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said steriliserincludes a closeable container and a steam generation means forgenerating steam to sterilise said bottle.
 8. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 7 wherein said steam generation means includes a water reservoirand a first heating means for heating water stored in said waterreservoir to thereby create steam.
 9. An apparatus according to any oneof the preceding claims wherein said milk powder container includes themilk powder dispenser
 10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, whereinsaid motorised dispenser includes a mechanically operated door or spiralscrew controlled by said first controller.
 11. An apparatus as claimedin any one of the preceding claims wherein said milk powder container isdetachable.
 12. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the precedingclaims wherein said water container is in fluid communication with anexternal water source.
 13. An apparatus as claimed in any one of thepreceding claims wherein said water container is detachable from therest of the apparatus.
 14. An apparatus as claimed in any one of thepreceding claims further including a second heating means for heating orboiling water in said water container.
 15. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 14 wherein if water in said water container is at or below apredetermined level said first controller prevents said second heatingmeans from operating.
 16. An apparatus as claimed in any one of thepreceding claims further including a temperature sensor to sense thetemperature of water in said water container.
 17. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 16, wherein if the water temperature of the water insaid water container falls below a required temperature, said firstcontroller causes said second heating means to heat or boil the water insaid water container.
 18. An apparatus as claimed in any one of thepreceding claims, further including a control panel, said control panelbeing connected to said first controller and enabling a user to operatesaid apparatus.
 19. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the precedingclaims, wherein said first controller enables adjustment of watertemperature, amount of milk powder dispensed, and/or amount of waterdispensed.
 20. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the precedingclaims, wherein, in addition, the first controller further enables onlywater or only milk powder to be dispensed.
 21. An apparatus as claimedin any one of the preceding claims wherein said first controller enablesdispensing, boiling/stop boiling, sterilising, calibration, settingadjustment and/or reset of the apparatus.
 22. An apparatus as claimed inany one of preceding claims wherein said steriliser is further able tokeep warm ready mixed infant formula or breast milk at a desiredtemperature.
 23. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the precedingclaims wherein said steriliser is detachable from said apparatus, thedetached steriliser being able to operate independently to saidapparatus.
 24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein firstcontroller means enables a prescribed Standard concentrate for eachpowder variety to be selected and stored in the memory
 25. An apparatusas claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including a filtermeans for filtering off unwanted particles from the water beforedispensing.
 26. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the precedingclaims, wherein the first controller initiates dispensing of the waterbefore dispensing of the powder, then initiates dispensing of the milkpowder whilst maintaining dispensing a portion of the water, and stopsthe dispensing of the water after the required proportion of milk powderhas dispensed.
 27. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the precedingclaims, further including a cooling system for rapidly cooling heatedwater in said water container.